Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Harvey loves his Mummy; he’d do anything for
her. They have a blissful life together, filled with cuddles, walkies and
camping trips. Then, one terrible day, everything changes and their perfect life
becomes a nightmare. The Hungry-Man wants his Mummy, and only Harvey can save
her from a horrifying fate.

Can Harvey do what it will take to protect his
Mummy? And will it be enough?

A terrifying and gripping tale of a dog’s
devotion and determination to protect those he loves. The next time your dog
tries to warn you about something you can’t sense, pay
attention…

Now that I'm back from my bummel, it's time to get stuck in to some writing again. I'm thrilled to bits to share with you a draft of the prologue and first chapter of "The Hungry-Man", my current WIP.

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

Missed the beginning? The bummel begins hereWorthing. I woke up feeling disorientated; this wasn't the tent I'd been living in for the last couple of weeks. After a second or so, I remembered where I was and checked the time. Good. I was awake early enough to say goodbye to Dad before he left for work. I rolled over and stretched...

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Strange, strange dreams last night... yet still woke early; the sun heated the air inside the tent until I was forced out and into the fresh air. It's an effective, if unpleasant, alarm clock.

I'd decided, in between dreams about castles and Young Americans, to go two hours along the coast to see Dad but, seeing as he's at work today, I was in no hurry. So I packed up slowly, letting the tent dry out properly and taking my time. Harvey, as always, was excited to be moving on; he's a proper Sagittarian dog, always looking for a new adventure. As the bedding was rolled and the kitchen packed away, his tail began to wag- I swear he'd help me if he could, just to get back on the road and onto the next spot faster! Alfie, the most laid-back Leo, watched passively. As I've said before, he's simply happy to be with me, wherever we end up.

Monday, 5 August 2013

Epic monster rain this morning, thundering down and bouncing off my tent like a million drumbeats. It did afford me the luxury of lazing around for a few hours, reading, until the sun came out about half nine. I think the boys appreciated it too. Harvey, a feisty ten year old Cairn terrier with a heart murmur and a lust for life, has been skipping around like a pup these last ten days, but I know he needs to rest up a little and I think secretly he knows that too. That's why he's wriggled himself into my sleeping bag and is making happy snuffle sounds. Alfie is just content to be wherever his Mummy is, so is currently curled up on my lap, making it difficult for me to write and drink my Ovaltine at the same time. A golden moment, indeed. But back to today's adventure.

Sunday, 4 August 2013

Well, I'm down the road a bit, I think, but I'm not yet convinced that this site is any better, although it costs twice as much and, apparently, has showers. I say apparently as I've not found them yet. It's not a good sign when you're regretting paying in advance for two nights before you've even got your tent up!

I woke this morning at dawn, but neither I nor the boys felt like getting up, so we slept in until nine. I didn't mind the pop-up monstrosity so much last night; maybe I was just so shattered that a wooden crate would have done the job. I do have to say though, my self-inflating mattress really is wonderful- or I truly was exhausted- because I discovered when I was packing the tent away (which, incidentally, went smoothly) that I'd been sleeping on top of the mallet all night and hadn't noticed!

All packed, I asked one of the 'van campers where I'd find the owner of the field, as I wanted to get be off, and he gave me the most bizarre directions which I've done my best to replicate here:

Saturday, 3 August 2013

If it wasn't for keeping these notes, I wouldn't know what day it is. I feel so relaxed, like the world has paused just long enough for me to get my head together. Time, however, is marching on whether I like it or not, and so I've had a bit of a mad one today.

I woke up this morning thinking I'd stay one more night, tootle into Salisbury to see the cathedral and find a pub for dinner before leaving tomorrow. Fate, in the form of no one being available to book another night, intervened and so I instead packed up the tent, loaded up our stuff and set off into Salisbury by car. I found somewhere to park and had thirty minutes to get to the cathedral and back before the meter ran out. The boys and I ran, feeling a bit like we were in an action film, rucksack clunking away on my back and all our tongues hanging out as we panted in the heat. It must have been quite a sight.

Friday, 2 August 2013

Missed the beginning? The bummel begins hereSalisbury. Considering how late the children next door went to bed, they were up bright and early and, consequently, so was I. The sky was grey and the air cool, much cooler than yesterday, so I dressed warmly- noticing just in time that my jumper had a splash of last night's Ovaltine down it. That would have been embarrassing! Just because I'm living like a hobo doesn't mean I should let standards slip!

I needn't have worried so much about keeping warm; by the time I'd finished walking the boys around the barrows at Stonehenge, the sun was starting to peek out through the clouds and looked set to continue as another glorious day.

Thursday, 1 August 2013

The hottest day so far. Seriously scorching. Definitely not a day for dismantling a tent and then pitching it again in the searing midday sun. But, nevertheless, that is what I did today.

I woke up early, ridiculously excited to be moving on, my itchy feet eager to hit a new place and press on with my journey. Therefore I had the luxury of time when packing up, which was appreciated, as the temperature kept climbing and I had to keep stopping for a drink and a rest. Even Harvey hid under the car for some shade, and he's the ultimate sun-worshipper!

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About Me

Currently teaching and surviving in rural Lincolnshire, famed for its beautiful open sky and not much else. I dream of rainy days and cups of tea. My faithful terriers and I love long walks on the beach, where they can bounce in the surf and I can paddle with my shoes on. I will only eat trifle if my Nan made it. Sometimes I have Strange Ideas. Sometimes I write them down.